Last.



No. 638,736. Patented Dec. l2, I899.

M. MITCHELL.

LAST.

(Application filed Dec. 2, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Witnesses: I n veniov. WWW @Mdw. Y

m: scams PETERS co, PNOTD-LITHQ. wmumcxcu. nv c NITED STATES PATENTOrrrcnt MICHAEL MITCHELL, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-HALF TOFRANK D. MARSHALL AND JOHN WELLS, OF SAME PLACE.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,736, dated December12, 1899.

Application filed December 2, 1898. Serial No. 698,053. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State ofMaine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in lasts, and is designed to form alast which will be easily and readily taken out from the shoe. Itbelongs to that class of lasts particularly known as divided lasts; andmy invention consists in the novel and peculiar way of dividing the foreand heel parts and in certain other details of construction which willbe hereinafter more fully set forth and described.

In the drawing herewith accompanying and forming a part of thisapplication the figure is an elevation of my improved last, a portionbeing broken away to show the manner of attaching the fore part to theheel part, the dotted lines showing the position of the heel part whenthe same has been moved upward over the fore part.

In said drawing, A represents the fore part of a last, 13 the heel part,and C a tongue pivotally mounted at a point, as D, in the fore part andat a point, as E, in the heel part, the line of division between the twoparts beginning at the point F, which is just before the rise or crownof the instep. The out then takes the direction of a perfect curve,starting from said point to the bottom of the last, the advantage ofthis out being that the heel portion when moved upon the fore partbegins to retreat, or, in other words, to lessen the length of thebase-line of the last at once.

In lasts as previously constructed when the heel part is moved on thefore part the baseline of the last is at first increased. This mustnecessarily be sofrom the direction of the cut and position of thehinges. This makes it much harder to withdraw the last from the shoe andsubjects the counter of the shoe to unnecessary strain and very oftencauses the same to be drawn out of shape.

In my improved last as the heel part travels over the fore part theinstep portion instead of being forced upwardly, as it would were thelast divided on a diagonal line, is caused to travel forwardly anddownwardly toward the front of the last, causing in such journey verylittle increase in the vertical distance between the top of the instepand the base of the last. In order to keep the two' parts together, Iinserta tongue pivoted in each portion. The pivot-point in the fore partis placed on one of the radii of the circle forming the divisional outbetween the fore and heel parts of the last, the pivot E in the heelpart being without and below said line when continued into the heel partand when the two parts are in their normal position. To more exactlyindicate the point in the fore part, the pivot is placed at a pointabove the center of the fore part, considering as the altitude thevertical distance from the top or the highest point of the fore part tothe bottom of said fore part. By placing the pivot as described Iaccomplish the sliding move ment of up and over the fore part Withoutincreasing the base-line. Should the pivot in the fore part be placedbelow the center,a movement to allow a sufficient shortening of thebase-line could not be accomplished, and, furthermore, the heel partwould tend when forced back into its normal position to fall below thebase-1ine of the last. If the pivot in the fore part was placed higherup, the heel would swing too far forward and would not returnsufficiently to make the base-line symmetrical, and, further, the pivotE in the heel part is placed in line with the pivot D, but above thesame in relation to a horizontal line drawn through the center of thelast and indicated by m a; in the drawing. By placing the pivot in theheel part at a point as above indicated when the heel part is moved onthe fore part the tongue will not tend to cause the last to lengthen asregards its base-line, but causes the same to be shortened. Asmallincrease takes place in the altitude, but of not such an amount as tointerfere with the successful working of the device. By mak- ICO ing thecurve a long gradual one the heel part moves more easily on the forepart and pre vents the excessive tipping up of the heel part, and,furthermore, allows the instep portion 2 to move forwardly anddownwardly over the fore part-an important essential in the working ofmy improved last. By this immediate retreating of the heel part from itsretaining-counter it is evident that the last may be withdrawn from theshoe with less effort than when the heel part increases.

By making my last out, as shown, it obviates and does away with thesharp angle which must necessarily be on the heel portion when a cut ismade either vertically or diagonally. These sharp edges when the last isdrawn from the shoe tend to catch in the lining and tear the same; also,when the last is being used on the jack or otherwise no strain comesupon the tongue, as it would in the case of lasts divided transverselyor vertically, the cut on my last being so arranged as to distribute thewhole force of the blow throughout the whole last with the same effectas if the last were not divided.

The advantages of my improved last are that it is simple, easy toconstruct, and presents the advantage of a uniform last, with theaddition that the same may easily and readily be removed or placed inthe shoe.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim 1. In a dividedlast, a fore part, a heel part, said parts being divided on a curvedline, the arc of a true circle, the line of division beginning at apoint in front of the rise of the instep and continuing therefrom to thebase of the last, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a last divided on a curved line, the line of division beginning ata point in front of the rise of the instep and continuing therefrom tothe base of the last and a tongue pivotally mounted in fore and heelparts respectivel y whereby said heel portion is allowed to move oversaid fore part shortening, at the moment movement begins, the base-lineof the last, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a last divided on a curved line, a fore part, a heel part, theline of division beginning at a point in front of the rise of the instepand continuing therefrom to the base of the last, a tongue pivotallymounted in the fore and heel parts respectively, the pivot in the forepart being placed at a point above the center of the fore part, thepivot in the heel part being above the pivot in the fore part,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a divided last, a fore part, a heel part, the line of divisionbetweensaid parts beginning at a point in front of the rise of theinstep portion extending therefrom in a curved line to the base of thelast, a tongue pivotally mounted in the fore and heel partsrespectively, the pivot in the fore part being on one of the radii ofthe curved line dividing the fore and heel parts, the pivot in the heelpart, when the said fore and heel parts are in their normal positions,being without and below said radial line when continued into the heelpart, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 29th day of November, 1898.

MICHAEL MITCHELL.

iVitnesses:

MARION RICHARDS, NATHAN CLIFFORD.

